Priyanka Chopra: 'Want to pave the way for brown people'

Mumbai, Feb. 9 -- For actor Priyanka Chopra, being a public figure has been more or less a lifestyle. From a very young age, the actor singer has been in the limelight and is quite used to the attention.

So when you ask her if she feels any pressure now that she's a popular face in the west too, she says nonchalantly, "Small pond, big pond, it's the same, right?"

The actor adds, "I have known the public life since I was 17, which is around half my life. I don't remember what it was like, not having people be inquisitive about me."

Prod her about being a youth icon and getting recognised in the west now, and she adds, "I don't think I'm an icon yet, though I'd love to be one someday. I would love to be someone that my country is proud of. I'm trying to do something different. There are a few things that go on in my head."

Ask her to elaborate on these thoughts and she says, "I've lived in the US for four-five years as a teenager, and those are your most formative years. Being a regular high school girl, I had no one to look up to, who looked like me. Everyone else was a different colour but brown or Indian. I'm not saying it should be me, but I want to be able to pave the way for brown people to come out there."

Priyanka believes that Indian talent abroad must be explored further. "We have so much potential to do so many different things," she says.